FAB-50sv (50 kg)

Description

Side view of an FAB-50sv (50 kg) bomb.

The FAB-50sv (50 kg) is a 50 kg Soviet general purpose high explosive bomb. FAB is an acronym for fugasnaya aviatsionnaya bomba (фугасная авиационная бомба) or high explosive bomb. FAB bombs are generally followed by the numbers representing the bomb’s weight in kilograms. Russian iron bombs typically utilise circular ring airfoils to stabilise the bombs during freefall differing from the fins rather than box fins utilised on western type general purpose bombs.

FAB bombs typically functioned with a single nose fuze, a single tail fuze or both which then served as a redundant trigger if the nose fuze failed. Soviet bombs are generally dark grey as the primary overall colour and typically are marked with designation weight in kilograms (e.g. FAB-50), fuze type, explosive or chemical filler and the number of auxiliary boosters (only found on bombs 250 kg or heavier). The tail fin will also include markings, such as year of manufacture, lot number produced from and factory number.

Data for FAB-50sv (50 kg) bomb
	Metric	Imperial
Overall Length	93.6 cm	36.9 in
Body Diameter	21.9 cm	8.6 in
Filling Weight	24 kg	52.9 lb
Total Weight	64 kg	141 lb
Explosive Filling	TNT
Bomb Type	High Explosive

General info

A top view of a FAB-50sv (50 kg) bomb with identification of parts.

FAB-50 bombs are constructed one of two ways, either forged or welded. The forged version is a bomb body which is a single unit of forged steel, the nose shape is ogival, the midsection is cylindrical, and the aft section is conically tapering to where the base adapter is located in which the tail unit is attached. This bomb was not designed to be utilised with a tail fuze. The tail unit of the forged bomb is of box construction and is held into place to the base of the bomb with a spanner lock nut. This version of the bomb has a striking resemblance to U.S. AN-M general purpose bombs of similar weights. A single suspension band is fitted to the bomb allowing fitting to either bomb bay shackles or external payload pylons.

A front view of an FAB-50sv (50 kg) bomb. Notice detail in nose fuze

Welded FAB-50 bombs are two forged steel sections of tear-drop shape which are fused just aft of where the suspension band is fitted. Like the forged bomb, the rear section is conical while the nose of the bomb is ogival which concludes at the fuze adapter. The base of the bomb has a threaded extension which the tail unit is attached and held with a locking nut. Also, like the forged bomb, the welded version cannot be fitted with a tail fuze. The tail assembly for the welded bomb consists of a cone which has four fins either welded or riveted along with four struts which act as supports for the fins through riveting. To allow the welded bombs to be fitted to an American bomb shackle (B-25J-30 and P-40E-1 specifically), an additional suspension band is added to the bomb for a total of two suspension bands.

Effective damage

A rear view of a FAB-50sv (50 kg) bomb.

The Soviet bombs featured in War Thunder are composed of straight TNT explosive filling, which was the preferred filling when it came to the larger FAB bombs, especially during peacetime when the explosives would be in storage for a long duration. A tell-tale sign of bombs using TNT is the black smoke which is produced from the oxygen-deficient explosion of TNT when detonated with a tetryl booster.

Typical crater size created from a FAB-50 bomb measured approximately .3 - .6 m in depth and 1.8 – 2.7 m in diameter with a fragmentation radius of upwards of 68.6 meters.

FAB-50sv (50 kg) damage table	Metric	Imperial
Max armor penetration high explosive action	79 mm	3.11 in
Radius of destruction of armored vehicle	2.1 m	6.89 ft
Radius of fragment dispersion	68.6 m	225 ft

Comparison with analogues

Comparable bombs to FAB-50sv (50 kg)
	Name	Mass	Explosive mass	Explosive	Armor Pen.	Destruction radius	Frag radius
▃	AN-M30A1	100 lb	24.5 kg	Amatol	79 mm	2.1 m	67.3 m
▀	SC50JA	50 kg	25 kg	Fp.60/40	80 mm	2.1 m	70.1 m
▅	Type 97 Number 6	60 kg	23 kg	TNT	78 mm	2.1 m	67 m
▅	Type 94 GPHE	50 kg	19.6 kg	TNT	74 mm	1.8 m	62.5 m
▄	GP 50	58 kg	25 kg	TNT	80 mm	2.1 m	70.1 m
▄	D.T. No.2	55.7 kg	19.9 kg	TNT	73 mm	2.1 m	67.4 m
▄	G.A.M.Mn 50	50 kg	28.5 kg	TNT	82 mm	2.4 m	77.1 m

Usage in battles

The FAB-50sv (50 kg) is the lightest of the FAB series of bombs allowing it to be used between a wide range of fighters, attackers and bombers. The FAB-50 is a small bomb. However, it should not be discounted as it excels in use with low-level attacking or bombing aircraft. Even fighters which may carry one or two of these bombs can effectively take out a soft vehicle or AAA gun as a secondary target. Bombers which can carry a greater quantity can make short work of vehicle convoys or AAA clusters where blast radii will overlap and compound the damage inflicted to enemy targets. Unless these bombs are being dropped on a base, high altitude bombing of vehicles or AAA targets becomes very inaccurate, because the vehicles will have a chance to scatter or due to altitude and dropping of the bombs, the landing rate will be very wide between bombs and likelihood that most will miss the target.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Small bomb, can be outfitted on fighter aircraft
• Bombing aircraft less likely to be hit by splash damage when low-level bombing (realistic and simulator battles)
• Great bomb for disabling enemy aircraft capturing runways of domination maps

Cons:

• Limited damage if dropped singly
• Less effective when used at high altitude ( > 3,000 m)
• Increased weight and drag, decrease the overall performance of aircraft

History

The Soviets had varying types of bombs, fuzes and fillers which they employed between 1939 and 1945. Early bombs used through 1942 were pre-war stock which was considered crude in design and manufacture, especially due to relying on unskilled labour and shortage of supervisory personnel in the manufacturing process. With old stock dwindling, a new effort was put into refining the design, manufacture and ballistic quality of the newer bombs.

While the Soviet bombs in War Thunder feature TNT filler, other fillers were used during the war in bombs such as the smaller FAB bombs (100 kg and under) typically used a 78% picric acid and 22% Dinitronapthalene mixture, similar to the Mélinite-Mononitro-nitronaphtaline (M.Mn) or Trimonite used by the French in their G.A.M.Mn 50 (50 kg) bombs. Other mixtures used by the Soviets include included 80/20 TNT/Ammonium Nitrate, 50/50 TNT/Ammonium Nitrate and 80/20 TNT/Dinitronapthalene.

Media

• 

  FAB-50sv (50 kg) bomb mounted on external wing pylon of an I-15 WR.
• 

  FAB-50sv (50 kg) bomb dropped from an external pylon of a La-5.
• 

  FAB-50sv (50 kg) bombs situated in bomb bay of an IL-4 bomber.
• 

  A Su-2 TSS-1 releasing it's FAB-50sv (50 kg) bombs.

See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

• reference to the article about the variant of the cannon/machine gun;
• references to approximate analogues by other nations and research trees.

External links

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• topic on the official game forum;
• encyclopedia page on the weapon;
• other literature.

High-explosive and general-purpose bombs
USA
100 lb	AN-M30A1
250 lb	AN-M57 · LDGP Mk 81
300 lb	H.E. M31
500 lb	AN-M64A1 · LDGP Mk 82
600 lb	H.E. M32
750 lb	M117 cone 45
1,000 lb	AN-M65A1 · AN-M65A1 Fin M129 · LDGP Mk 83
2,000 lb	AN-M66A2 · LDGP Mk 84
3,000 lb	M118
4,000 lb	AN-M56
Germany
50 kg	SC50JA
200 kg	Sprengbombe
250 kg	SC250JA
400 kg	Sprengbombe
450 kg	Sprengbombe 68/70
500 kg	SC500K
1,000 kg	SC1000L2
1,800 kg	SC1800B
2,500 kg	SC2500
USSR
25 kg	AO-25M-1
50 kg	FAB-50sv
100 kg	FAB-100sv · FAB-100M-43 · OFAB-100
250 kg	FAB-250sv · FAB-250M-43 · FAB-250M-44 · FAB-250M-46 · FAB-250M-54 · FAB-250M-62 · OFAB-250sv · OFAB-250-270
500 kg	FAB-500sv · FAB-500M-43 · FAB-500M-44 · FAB-500M-46 · FAB-500M-54 · FAB-500M-62
1,000 kg	FAB-1000 · FAB-1000M-43 · FAB-1000M-44
1,500 kg	FAB-1500M-46
3,000 kg	FAB-3000M-46
5,000 kg	FAB-5000
Britain
250 lb	G.P. Mk.IV · M.C. Mk.I
500 lb	G.P. Mk.IV · H.E. M.C. Mk.II · M.C. Mk.I
540 lb	Mk.M2
1,000 lb	G.P. Mk.I · M.C. Mk.I · L.D H.E. M.C. Mk.1 · H.E. M.C. Mk.13
4,000 lb	H.C. Mk.II · H.C. Mk.IV
8,000 lb	H.C. Mk.II
12,000 lb	H.C Mk.I
Japan
Army
50 kg	Type 94 GPHE
100 kg	Type 94 GPHE
250 kg	Type 92 GPHE
500 kg	Type 92 GPHE
Navy
60 kg	Type 97 Number 6
250 kg	Type 98 Number 25 · Type Number 25 Model 2
500 kg	Type Number 50 Model 2
800 kg	Number 80 Mod. 1
China
100 kg	100-2
250 kg	Type 250-2 · 250-3
500 kg	500-3
1500 kg	1500-2
3000 kg	3000-2
Italy
50 kg	GP 50
100 kg	GP 100T · SAP 100M
230 kg	BAFG-230
250 kg	GP 250
460 kg	BAFG-460
500 kg	GP 500
800 kg	GP 800
920 kg	BAFG-920
France
50 kg	D.T. No.2 · G.A. MMN. 50 · Type 61C
75 kg	G2 Navale
100 kg	No.1
250 lb	SAMP Mk 81
150 kg	I2 Navale
200 kg	No.1
500 lb	SAMP Mk 82
250 kg	Matra 25E · SAMP Type 25
400 kg	SAMP Type 21
1,000 lb	SAMP Mk 83
500 kg	No.2
2,000 lb	SAMP Mk 84
Sweden
50 kg	mb m/37AT · sb m/42 · sb m/47 · Model 1938
100 kg	Model 1938
120 kg	sb m/61 · m/71
250 kg	mb m/40 · mb m/50
500 kg	mb m/41 · mb m/56
600 kg	mb m/50
Israel
100 kg	100/50 kg G.P.
250 kg	250/50 kg G.P.
360 kg	360/50 kg G.P.
500 kg	500/50 kg G.P.
See also	List of armour-piercing bombs · List of guided bombs · List of retarded bombs